Author and hip hop artist Jackie Hill Perry is on a mission to help equip the Christian church, while also encouraging people who are same-sex attracted. Perry released a new book last year that dives deep into her life experiences — and the Bible’s presentation of hope and truth.

“I wanted those in the church to kind of grow in their understanding and empathy of those who are same-sex attracted so that they can love them better,” she recently told “The Pure Flix Podcast.” “I wanted those who are same-sex attracted in the church to be encouraged.”

Perry, who became a Christian when she was 19, said she’s also hoping to speak to those who don’t know where they stand on the topic and who might waver on the issue of sexuality.

And she knows quite a bit about the issue based on her own experience.

“Jackie grew up fatherless and experienced gender confusion,” Perry’s bio reads. “She abused marijuana, loved pornography, and embraced both masculinity and homosexuality with every fiber of her being.”

Listen to Perry’s story of transformation at the 26:00-minute mark:

She shared how she experienced challenges as a young woman and eventually decided to “just do what I thought was best for me.”

“I … was a typical girl who loved everything but God,” Perry said, noting, though, that her convictions about her lifestyle were starting to intensify before she became a Christian.

Her aunt, a Christian, had taken her to church for the first 10 years of her life and, as a result, Perry was feeling pressure.

“I had a basic level understanding of the gospel, which was really all I needed to know, which was that Jesus came and died for sinners,” she said.

Then, in October 2008, something shocking happened. For the first time, Perry said she saw her sin and recognized that Jesus is the only person she could turn to if she wanted to make it right.